Easy Vegetable Pulao Vidhya S Vegetarian Kitchen

I love mixed vegetable pulao, so does my family. It’s one of my go-to recipes for our everyday meals, weekends, and potlucks also. I have a simple no-onion no-garlic pulao recipe on my blog and a few other ones. I will link them down below.

Homemade veg pulao masala

For this vegetable pulao, I made my own pulao masala. And it’s quite easy to make. All we need to do is roast the spices quickly and grind it coarsely. You can use it for other curries and gravies instead of garam masala. Let’s get straight into the recipe. Please check the recipe card for the ingredients and the measurements.

How to make vegetable pulao in Instant Pot

Prepare the pulao masala-

Heat a pan and when the pan is hot, add the green cardamom, cloves, star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon piece, and dry roast for 30 to 45 seconds. We don’t need to roast for a long time. We are roasting here for just bringing out the flavor. Let it cool for a bit and grind it coarsely and set it aside. You can make it well ahead and store it in an air-tight container also.

Soak the rice- Rinse the basmati rice thoroughly and soak the rice for 20 to 30 minutes.

Make the pulao-

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and when the display shows hot, add the oil. Wait for 20 seconds and then add the shah jeera—Fry for 20 seconds. Then add the green chilies and chopped onions. Saute until the onions turn soft for 3 to 4 minutes.Then add the chopped tomatoes and mint leaves—Cook for two minutes.Now add the mixed vegetables, ground pulao masala, and salt.

Next, drain the water from the basmati rice and add the rice and the water. Mix gently.Press the cancel button, close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork or spatula.Serve it hot with your favorite curry or raita.

Recipe Notes

You can use black cardamom while making the pulao masala. In that case, reduce the green cardamom to 2 instead of 4.Adjust the green chili, salt, and veggies used as per your preference. Rice preset always worked for me, but you can also try cooking the rice for 3 to 4 minutes at high-pressure mode and quickly release pressure after 5 minutes. I did not add any garlic. You can add fresh garlic (2 to 3 cloves) and add it along with the onion. Or you can also use ginger-garlic paste, and you can add 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste along with onions.Make sure to chop the veggies slightly big so that it doesn’t become mush. This is a rice pulao, but you can also use millets or quinoa. Do checkout my Instant Pot millet pulao for timing and details. Like ginger and garlic, I skipped bay leaf. You can add 1 dried bay leaf along with shah jeera. Soaking the rice for 20 to 30 minutes yields non-mushy rice and nicely done grainy rice. The amount of water depends upon the quality and age of the rice. I have used 1.25 cups of water for 1 cup of basmati rice.

Stove-top pressure cooker version of veg pulao

I made this veg pulao in Instant Pot, but you can also make it in a stove-top pressure cooker. You first temper and add onions and saute them in a pressure pan or cooker. Then add the veggies, rice, and salt and pressure cook for just one whistle over medium flame. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Then release the pressure naturally. You can also try cooking for two whistles and turn off the heat and release the pressure after 5 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

More pulao recipes from the blog!

PS – If you try this Instant Pot veg pulao, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates.